culture – Seoul Learning

The following is a modified response to an original discussion thread for Module 4.2.( in regards to the challenges of teacher / TL collaboration). At a later date, and hopefully when I am in a TL position, it will be interesting to reflect upon this issue ‘from the other side’. I’ve also just realised that it was my turn to post to my blog re: the discussion schedule. So I hope that my forum response will also be acceptable as a blog post too.

Hi Elyse

Thanks for your thoughts! I think we may be a little further along in our school but it has been hard work to get there. There is a professional expectation that comes from the top down, that we are to be collaborative. We meet 2 times per cycle in the high school (we have an 8 day cycle) as subject/grade level teams – it’s scheduled in. In middle school, grade level subject teams meet on an informal basis almost every day to plan/prep/co-mark and moderate assessments. Once again, they can, because the time is protected for them to do it.

Despite this, there are teachers who still really don’t want/refuse to collaborate. I understand a few of the reasons they give, and don’t understand many others. I do know that co-teaching or working closely in a situation where personalities clash is absolutely awful. On the flip side, my best teaching experiences have been based in a close, collaborative team where different styles and methods are respected and shared, and there have been strong interdisciplinary connections made.

Although a pretty strong model of collaboration exists in our school, there have been very few times when the TL has been invited to these meetings. Thus I have realised reading through this module, that we have a long way to go with this. The TLs in the middle and high school will come and do stand-alone research/’how to reference lessons’ but I’ve noticed that these lessons are only really successful if teachers have included them in on the background – the inquiry questions of the unit, what the kids are doing – so they can link in practical, task-specific resources and examples of how to research/reference.

I think we as teachers, also need to be more proactive here in reaching out to the TL, as well as the other way around. But as you have also commented – there is a misunderstanding (from classroom teachers) of what a TL can do so they are overlooked. I know my own classroom teacher perspective in regards to TLs has really been flipped on its head just since beginning this degree. Even though I have worked with an absolutely fantastic TL previously (who inspired me to do this course) – I realise now that I just barely scratched the surface of what the professional relationship could have been.

At the end of the day – it’s all about the students and if we just keep chipping away in this direction, in whatever role we have, I hope we keep moving forward.

Ang

Korean Gate within our school.
Besides our more formal assignment reflections, we have been encouraged to record our musings at any point in our blog. I have taught in Indonesia, Singapore, Germany and now South Korea. I doubt it will end there and we’ll move on as a family to new countries and adventures. In our role as educators, we have come across many different approaches to education informed by the dominant culture. It has been really interesting, often challenging and always thought-provoking.

While writing Assignment #1_Part B, a few questions popped up for me. I obviously held little regard to TLs in my early years of teaching. The onus is probably on me but it did make me wonder. I have compared my experiences against the roles of a librarian identified by the Australian Schools Librarian Association (which is a new document for me at the start of this new course). I wonder what roles have been identified in the countries I have worked in – for Teacher Librarians? In what ways are the same and in what ways do they differ from the ASLA roles? How does culture and in particular educational culture, inform TLs in other countries? What about the role of a TL in the international school setting? How do they ‘marry’ their own expectations of their role with the expectation of the school? What do students of different cultures expect from their TL?

I’m hoping that I’ll have time to do a deeper dive into TLs and culture throughout my course. Could I use this as a possible research project in INF447?

Tag: culture

Teacher and TL collaboration : a forum discussion post

Culture and Teacher Librarianship